Two Tucson shows to help ring in 2019

There’s not a lot in the way of live entertainment on New Year’s Eve, but here are a couple of ideas to ring in 2019.

Here are two New Year’s Eve shows on Monday, Dec. 31, that should be pretty terrific.

“Masque of the Red Desert” NYE 2019 with XIXA: Tucson’s much loved cumbia indie rocking supergroup XIXA joins DJ Dirtyverbs for its fifth annual all-night cumbia masquerade party at the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St. The fun starts at 9 p.m., doors open at 8, and it’s an all-ages event. Tickets are $10-$50 through ticketfly.com. XIXA last summer released the video for their latest single, “Tombstone Rashomon.”
A little jazz with The Hot Sardines: The Tucson Jazz Festival doesn’t kick off until Jan. 11, but the festival is getting a little jump on the 10-day event when it co-hosts the Hot Sardines for a New Year’s Eve show at Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St. The New York ensemble, known for its brassy horn arrangements and rollicking piano melodies, is fronted by lead singer Miz Elizabeth Bougerol and bandleader Evan “Bibs” Palazzo. Hot Sardines takes the stage at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $49 to $99 through foxtucsontheatre.ticketforce.com. The band comes here with a new album, “French Fries & Champagne,” that is a mix of original songs and covers.